


Made With Love

by HollisticScience



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Please be gentle, Rating May Change, Slow Burn, this is my first fanfiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-16 15:45:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18524608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HollisticScience/pseuds/HollisticScience
Summary: Betty Cooper is a bright young college student spending the summer before her senior year working as a waiter at the prestigious Blossom. Jughead Jones is an ex-gang member and current line cook. The two meet and have an instant attraction but Jughead's prejudice against front of house workers and Betty's insecurities get in the way.





	1. Prelude

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first fanfic, something about the show Riverdale has inspired me in a way I haven't been inspired since I was a teenager so I decided to try and write about it. This fic is loosely based on my own experiences within the industry so please give me feedback if I'm pushing that aspect too hard. Or just feedback in general is appreciated! Thank you.

**Prelude**

Working at Blossom felt like hell, but it sure paid like heaven. The high end restaurant that served an assortment of french inspired foods was somehow always busy despite its price tag. The owners often dined in, bringing an assortment of rich and famous guests. The back of house slaved over ovens to create the perfect meal and the front of house looked beautiful and acted polite, all to create the wonderfully curated experience everyone who dines at Blossom is privy to.

Jughead Jones and his two best friends Sweat Pea and Toni Topaz had worked in the Blossom kitchen going on three years now and they all agreed on two things: the front of house were a bunch of lazy dicks and

"Fuck mother's day," Jug exclaimed before taking a shot after what seemed like an eleven hour shift in hell.

"Fuck mother's day!" Sweet pea and Toni agreed, taking their own shots.

"Goddamn I think that might have been the worst one yet." Jughead said, wiping what was left of the tequila off his lips with the back of his hand. "How are the waiters so pretty yet so stupid."

"That Archie is just like a lost puppy dog," Toni laughed, "He means well, and the middle aged women love him, but he's just so goddamn slow."

"Do not even get me started on slow people."

When you have worked in restaurants since you were eighteen like the three of them had, you learn to really really hate slow people. They make your life so much harder. Slow employees means angry customers which in turn means pissed off managers.

The three line cooks drank for another hour before making their ways home. Sweat Pea and Jughead made sure that Toni made it back to her apartment safe and sound before heading back to their own shared apartment. They slept well that night after one of the most exhausting days in the year.

 

~~~

 

Seeing her roommate come home so exhausted the day before her first shift made Betty a bit worried. "V, you look miserable, are you sure I can make the cut as a waitress at Blossom?"  
"Oh B, you're smarter than any waitress there and prettier to boot," Veronica replied with a tipsy smile. The waitress had been charming shots of the bartender all night, and it definitely showed. "Plus I definitely think you're cut out for this," she said waving her hefty tip around in Betty's face. It was nearly $2000. Back when Betty worked at Pop's in Riverdale she was lucky to make $200 on a Saturday.

Betty and Veronica had been rooming together since their freshman year of college in the dorms. Now they were in a small but cozy apartment the summer before their senior year. Normally Betty worked at the campus owned coffee shop to help pay for rent, but the coffee shop neither paid well nor was it open when school was not in session, leaving Betty high and dry. She had tried to find an internship, any internship, for the summer but nothing had panned out. Journalism just is not as lucrative as it once was. Of course Betty would rather die than go home with her tail between her legs and face her mother, the thought of it almost made her want to self-harm again.

Veronica knew what going home meant to Betty and immediately got her a job alongside herself at the world famous Blossom. It paid well and Veronica convinced Betty to lie to Alice about getting an internship at a small online newspaper. Not that it was hard, Betty used any excuse to keep Alice out of her personal life.

Veronica on the other hand definitely could've found an internship, but she cut herself off from her daddy a year prior and nothing that she found paid as good as flirting with older men at Blossom did.

The two girls chatted well into the night, Veronica laying her head in Betty's lap while Betty drank a glass of sweet wine, because she really didn't have the stomach for anything dry, and played with Veronica's hair. New Girl played as the background noise to their conversation about boys and work and school. As Veronica drifted asleep in her lap Betty laid awake, nervous and excited for her first day waiting since she was sixteen.

 


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty gets a feel for working at Blossom.

**Chapter 1**

Betty reviewed her reflection in the full length mirror the girls had hanging on the back of the bathroom wall, making sure she was up to the standards of Blossom. White button up shirts with black vests and black pencil skirts and neutral makeup. On certain holidays the staff were allowed to add specific colors to their uniforms in pre-approved ways. Blossom made sure their staff was the exact opposite of tacky at all times.

Flattening her skirt with her palms for what was probably the tenth time in the fifteen minutes she had been wearing it Betty stepped out of the door to meet her roommate. She had no idea why she was so nervous, maybe it was because of how exhausted Veronica seemed all the time, maybe it was because she had heard horror stories about Cheryl Blossom, the owner's daughter, whispered among many people in Veronica's circle of rich friends, or maybe it was because Betty had a habit of building things up in her mind until she finally got to experience them. Most likely? It was all three.

"Oh Betts!" Betty jumped out of her skin, "You look perfect! I'm so glad we're working together, let's start walking"

The two girls were a twenty minute walk to the nicer part of town where Blossom awaited them. For most of the walk Veronica talked while Betty listened, which was not an unusual circumstance for their friendship.

"So the floor manager tonight is Kevin, he's super awesome you're gonna love him. You literally could not have your first night be with a better manager. He'll show you around then me and Archie will be in charge of training you."

"mmmhmm"

"The one thing you need to know is about the back of house. They can be a bit," Veronica paused, "How can I put this delicately? Grumpy?" she asked, then repeated herself decisively. "Grumpy. Exactly. This isn't really anything new for the restaurant industry of course, but I know at Pop's everyone is kinda like a happy family and I want to warn you before you have to put your first ticket in for them."

Betty continues to listen attentively, taking in anything Veronica said that could make her job easier and filing them away in her brain. Veronica talked about how sometimes she acted ditzy to frustrate the kitchen staff. She talked about how the current hot gossip was that Cheryl may have hooked up with someone who worked there. 

Her training was a blur. She was taught the layout of the restaurant, how to work the POS, how to greet the customers with their pre-written script. She felt fairly confident in her ability to succeed at Blossom except one thing she could not get out of her mind. When she was being shown the kitchen she made eye contact with striking blue eyes, they were locked until he laughed at a joke someone had just said to him. Betty blushed knowing it was about her. 

~~~

Jughead rolled out of bed at 3:00 pm and walked into work right at 4:00 pm. His black locks secured as well as he could have them at the back of his head with a rubberband. It was the monday after Mother's day and was bound to be much slower and much less stressful. 

Despite how much he complained about his job, Jughead loved working in a kitchen. The pace and practice was exhilarating. He worked in the back with the weirdos just like himself. It was one of the few jobs in the world where you could truly be yourself and not have to put on an act for customers or for management. As long as you did you work, no one gave a shit. 

"Word on the street is there's a new hire today," Sweet Pea said while quickly plating a dessert

"Heard she's quite the cutie," Toni teased the boys before shouting "behind" as she ran behind Jughead to grab an ingredient. 

Jughead grunted and the three of them worked in silence for awhile, letting the poetry of back of house fill their ears. Knives hitting cutting boards, steaks hitting flames, and staff shouting variations of "behind," "heard," "knife," and "hot pot."

The reverie of the kitchen was soon interrupted as two waiters stepped into the back. The floor manager on duty, Kevin, gleefully shouted out "Hey guys! This is Betty, today's her first day! And maybe you can even be nice to her." his voice suddenly turning from cheerful to dry. 

The staff stayed hard at work while Kevin showed Betty around, but Jughead made eye contact and he was certainly struck by her, it was a good thing he had the chainmail glove on while chopping or he might've hurt himself. The only thing that pulled Jughead from his reverie was Sweet pea leaning over and whispering in his ear " The prettier they are, the dumber they are," causing Jughead's smirk to turn into an open mouth laugh, breaking his eye contact with Betty. Despite his principle hatred of waiters, Jughead still found himself disappointed that the new waitress made no more eye contact with him for the rest of her time in the kitchen with Kevin. 

~~~ 

Definitely put off by clearly being a joke to some of her new coworkers, Betty was glad she didn't have to interact with those in the back much that night. The only time the waiters have to talk to them personally is to fix a ticket which their pos does not allow them to do, all other orders are sent back to a printer for them. As always, Betty's work was immaculate and she had no tickets to fix. Veronica was sure to let her know that no matter how perfect she was, there would eventually be a customer that insisted she made a mistake. Betty knew this was true but she was just glad to be doing well on her first night.

It was ten minutes until they were closing and V and Archie were tag teaming teaching her how to pre-close to make every night easier. Five more minutes went by and the kitchen staff were champing at the bit to start closing everything down. Then they walked in. A group of ten extremely drunk, extremely rich, trust fund kids. There was no turning them away. The waiters groaned "Someone has to let the kitchen know." Betty was slightly confused before she noticed everyone around her had their fingers on their noses. 

Veronics shrugged "Sorry B, you gotta tell the hounds in the back."

"Alright, anything for you V." 

Betty made her way back to the kitchen and opened the door to see a ball of aluminum foil flying her way. She ducked just in time and regained her composure to see her assailant standing across from her with a ladle sitting in his hands like a baseball bat. "We were bored," he shrugged. "What do you want blondie?"

She rolled her eyes at the condescending tone. "We just had a ten top come in, you guys can't shut down yet." The man with the ladle looked livid enough to hit her but the man with the striking blue eyes from earlier stepped in to her rescue. "It's not her fault Sweet Pea, come on guys man your stations for another hour of hell."

By the time Betty stepped back out the table of ten had been served waters but their orders had not been taken. Only Archie, Veronica, and Kevin remained. Betty could tell Veronica and Archie were all over each other and possibly looking to hook up that night so she did her friend a favor, "I think I can handle it as long as Kevin is here, you guys go ahead. It can be my first solo mission."

Veronica fought a little bit, but Betty could tell it was only half-hearted. Eventually the two relented and bounced out the door.

While rowdy, the drunk kids were at least somewhat easy to deal with. They looked to be about her age, and she think she even recognized some of them from around campus. She ran orders back and forth and, since the busboy had left an hour ago, took the dishes back and washed them as she went. She didn't notice but washing them off earned some nods of approval from the kitchen staff.

Finally, an hour of being at the every beck and call of the men was over. She wanted to do nothing more than go home and take her heels off and lay in bed for twelve hours straight, except it would be another hour before she could even leave, she had to finish closing after all. 

Most waiters would finish before the kitchen was even close to being done. Betty however was new and alone, so it took her twice the time as seasoned vets like Veronica. 

The kitchen staff all came out together, rowdy as ever. Betty didn't understand how they could still have so much energy after such a long shift. She was certainly glad once Kevin gave her the go ahead and she was able to step out the door through the crowd of smoking chefs and start making her way home. "Are you walking home alone at this time of night?" called out none other than the gravelly voice of her earlier hero with the blue eyes. "I don't really have another choice." She responded after turning around to face them all. 

"Where do you live?" asked the lone woman. Earlier when Betty first noticed her the woman's pink hair was pulled back in a tight bun. Now her curls flew around her face matted with sweat.

"At the apartments on Elm and 12th."

"Well you're in luck babe, I also live there. Let me walk you home." the woman broke off from the crowd of men, "I'll see you guys on wednesday, tomorrow is my day off bitches."

Betty found herself relieved at the hospitality. She would be lying if she said the thought of walking home alone hadn't scared her. 

"I'm Toni," the woman with pink hair said, offering her hand to shake.

"Betty," she replied, taking the tan hand in her own. 

"So how did you get a job at Blossom?"

"My roommate helped me after I couldn't find any internships."   
  
"Oooh, college girl huh?"

"Yeah," Betty responded sheepishly. She always got nervous talking to people her own age who weren't in college. She didn't judge them but a fear that they thought she would judge them always itched at the back of her mind. "I'm studying investigative journalism."

Toni raised her left eyebrow, "Investigative journalism huh? I bet you and Jug would get along."

Betty balked at the name "Jug?"

With a laugh, Toni explained, "Jughead. He's a line cook with me. His actual name is Forsythe but he's gone by Jughead since he was a kid. He's the one who saved you from Sweet Pea's wrath."

_ The boy with the blue eyes, _ Betty thought. Not wanting to be obvious about her curiosity, but still wanting to talk about him Betty's dry skepticism came out, "So when you call him Jug, it's a nickname for his nickname?"

"Oh he's gonna like you. You really are different from the rest of the wait staff."

A little put off and a little flattered, Betty asked "What is that supposed to mean."

Toni could tell she was walking on thin ice, she usually wouldn't mind but something told her having Betty on her bad side was not something she wanted. Plus there was a part of her that wanted to get her loner friend Jughead alone with Betty. So she shrugged and kept it as nice as possible, "You washed your own dishes tonight, usually the waiters just throw them at the dish boy without even scraping the plate. It may sound small, but it means a lot to us."

Betty was starting to get a sense of this restaurant. Thinking back to how Veronica said she would act ditzy to frustrate the kitchen staff, and all the backhanded comments she's received from those in the back, Betty realized that while this job paid a lot for a service job, it was also going to involve a lot of drama. Maybe it would be fun, she would just have to try and stay in the background.

The two girls walked up to their squat apartment building. As they rode the elevator up to Toni's floor they chatted about mundane things.Betty found out that Toni used Blossom and cooking to pay the bills but what she really enjoyed was web design. 

"Well this is my stop, you should come out with us wednesday night, yeah? The White Wyrm has a Wednesday night special and we never miss it."

"Yeah that sounds fun!" 

Betty was excited to be making friends so fast at her new job, but that excitement was quickly replaced my exhaustion as she stepped into her own bedroom and threw her heels off. She was asleep before her head even hit the pillow.

  
  



	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty and Jughead talk for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may go back and name the chapters eventually? We'll see.

**Chapter 2**

Sweet Pea and Jughead managed to get out of the kitchen by midnight on Tuesday. They made their way for Toni's apartment to drink and bitch and play some video games. Working the dinner shift as long as they all had led them to have hours more similar to nocturnal creatures. They often wound up hanging out and playing smash until 4 am at Toni's place after a shift, or sometimes even a oneshot game of Gryphons and Gargoyles if they were really in the mood.

"I invited blondie out with us tomorrow night." Toni let them know. The two other men groaned.

"Don't play coy with me Jug, I saw the way you looked at her."

"Yeah," Sweet Pea agreed. "You made eyes at her every time she was nearby. Yesterday and today."

Jughead smirked, "Well she's pretty. But pretty doesn't qualify a waiter to go out to the white wyrm with us."

"No," Toni shrugged, "But I like her and I want here there."

"Whatever, she'll spend five minutes with us and leave. The prissy ass waiters always hate us."

Jughead nodded in agreement and Toni sighed.

Despite his reaction, Jughead was excited to have Betty join them. Toni had mentioned that she was an investigative journalist and hearing that brought Jughead's love of true crime and political scandal to the forefront of his mind. Plus there was just something about her. She wasn't like the rest of the wait staff, she was considerate and nice and smart. He found himself fairly excited for the next night, no matter how indifferent he was acting. 

~~~

Betty wound up getting out of Blossom about a half hour before the kitchen staff was done closing on Wednesday night. Something she was relieved for. Going out with her new coworkers for the first time a sweaty mess was not something she wanted to do. The White Wyrm was just a five minute walk from her apartment, so she had plenty of time to go home and shower and put some clean clothes on. Some clothes that might have been influenced by the fact that tonight would be the first night she actually talked to Jughead.

She chose a pink sundress with off shoulder ruffles, leaving her shoulders and collarbone completely exposed. It was flowy and pretty. Something she would have rarely worn back in riverdale before Veronica helped her break out of her shell of high collared sweaters. Too lazy to deal with pinning back all her little baby hairs, Betty threw her hair up into a messy bun. She wasn't sure she was ready to break out full-on loosey-goosey hair down Betty with these people. 

Betty was finally ready to leave, but first she checked her phone to make sure she wouldn't be sitting at the white wyrm alone. Sure enough she had a text message from Toni five minutes earlier.  **We're at the wyrm, you joining us?**

**Yeah, leaving now.**

Luckily Veronica had gone out with Archie and Reggie tonight so Betty didn't have to explain why she was so dressed up for an evening out with a couple line cooks. She made her way to the white wyrm

~~~

When Betty walked in, the three cooks were silent. Toni, who had been sitting in their booth next to Jughead, got out and pushed Betty in, "What's your poison babe, first round's on me."

"Oh uh, I'll just take an amaretto sour."

The silence was awkward while the three sat there. Jughead watched Betty play with her cuticles. He desperately wanted to say something to her, but didn't even know where to begin. She stood out against them, Sweet Pea and Jughead wearing sweaty tshirts and their work pants, too lazy to go home and change, they had just taken their smocks off instead. Jughead felt like a hobo next to the effortless beauty of the angel known as Betty Cooper. And while Betty might not have noticed Jughead's attention, Sweet Pea had definitely clocked it.

Not two minutes later Toni arrived back with drinks. Tequila sunrise for herself, beer for the boys, rum and amaretto sour, and "SHOTS!" she screamed. 

Betty wasn't usually much of a shot girl, but she was relieved at the anything to grease away the social tension. 

One shot of tequila and a big gulp of a strong mix drink later Betty was feeling a lot less anxious. Her alcohol tolerance was low and it showed in how suddenly talkative she was. 

"So Betts, I was telling the boys last night how you're majoring in investigative journalism."

"Oh yeah, major in investigative journalism, minor in criminal justice. That one is mostly just for fun. The psychology behind murder cases and stuff. It's fascinating really."

Sweet Pea's gears were turning and he could suddenly see Toni's plan clear as day. Jughead still wasn't talking so Sweets decided to help Toni along and asked, "Who would you say your favorite serial killer is."

Betty paused and thought, "That's a really tough question. Serial killers are interesting, but I'm personally much more interested in spree killers. Andrew Cunanan and Richard Speck and two of my favorites." Usually Betty had a hard time referring to these people as her favorite, it felt a little morbid, but she was just tipsy enough to not care.

"Richard Speck, is that the guy who murdered all those nursing students?" Finally Jughead joined the conversation. Sweet Pea winked at Toni, and the two of them backed out of the conversation. They knew Jughead could talk about murder mysteries for hours. 

Betty and Jughead went back and forth for an hour, taking turns bringing up unsolved cases and giving their theories on who did it. The more they drank the less they cared. Soon their thighs were touching, Jughead's arm rested on the booth, dangerously close to being around Betty's shoulders. 

Lost in each other, they didn't notice the patrons filing out of the bar. Soon sweet pea left saying he had an early shift the next day, then Toni went home with her latest beautiful conquest, making sure Jughead would walk Betty home. Before they knew it the bartender was shouting out for the last call.

"Can I walk you home?"

"I think I would love that."

The two stepped out on the street. Betty stumbled a little bit and Jughead offered his arm to steady her. She grabbed it and held on tight. He loved the feeling. 

"I'm so glad I got to talk to you. I thought you thought I was so stupid." Betty said. She was just drunk enough to let all the insecurities she kept deep down out. 

Jughead didn't really know what to say. He also wanted to talk to her, but when he first set his eyes on her he let his prejudice get in the way of any positive feelings. He was scared anything he might say would result in Betty's tight grip from loosening, so he said nothing. 

"It's okay if you did, I know I just look like a perky dumb blonde."

"You definitely don't look like a dumb blonde, a perky blonde yes, but not dumb." Looking down at Betty, he admired the gentle curve of her shoulders, his admirations were soon disturbed as he noticed the goosebumps forming and the girl shivering. "Here," he took of his signature red hoodie and handed it over to Betty, "You're cold, take this."

Betty murmured a thank you as she put it on and quickly set her grip back on his arm. "Sorry I'm so sloppy. The only thing I ever drink is a glass of wine on girls night."

"If you think this is sloppy you should see Sweet Pea at his peak."

Betty giggled, "I'd love to see that." 

By this time the couple had reached the front steps of Betty's apartment. A pregnant pause hung in the air as Jughead looked down into Betty's sharp green eyes. He wanted so badly to put his hand on the back of her neck and kiss her. But she was drunk and Jughead knew someone as perfect as Betty would not want what he offered. "See you tomorrow," he murmured, breaking the silence. 

"Actually uh, tomorrow is my day off Jug." 

"Oh." was all he managed, the thought of kissing her still weighing heavily in his mind. Lost in his own fantasies he barely registered her saying something about needing sleep and heading back into her own apartment. 

  
  
  



	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hate how it says Chapter 4: Chapter 3, so I will be going back and renaming all the chapters soon, I Just gotta figure out what to name them.

**Chapter 3**

Betty woke up to what she was fairly sure was the distinct smell of Jughead. She bolted up, looking for him in her bed, only to see her reflection in the mirror across the room. She had his sweater on still, and nothing except that and her underwear. Betty didn't think she had had too much to drink the night prior, easily recalling most of the night and even her walk home.  _ Oh god the walk home. I definitely embarrassed myself. _

Making eye contact with herself in the mirror she whispered, "Why do you have to be so goddamn eager Elizabeth Cooper. Like a fucking puppy dog."

A ding brought Betty's attention to her phone. Before taking note of the text message she took note of the time. Nearly 3 in the afternoon.  **Hope you had a good time last night ;).** It was Toni. 

**I hope YOU had a good time last night lol.**

Betty made her way out of bed and into the living room. She was relieved she had managed to chug down a bottle of powerade the night before and successfully avoid a hangover.

The ever present Veronica was sitting on the couch, reading the newspaper. Her perfectly manicured eyebrows raised at the sight of Betty, in nothing but a stranger's hoodie and her underwear. "Whose hoodie is that?"

Betty braced herself for what was bound to be an intense line of questioning. "Oh, it's just Jughead's."

"Jughead?"   
  
"Yeah, you know, the linecook."   
"Oh B, I know. But why do you have his sweater."   
"Well I went out with some of the kitchen staff last night, he just made sure I got home safely."

Veronica scoffed. "How and why did you go out with some of the kitchen staff. They're practically heathens."   
"I don't know, I had a good time. Toni is super nice and she lives just two floors below us, she walked me home a couple nights ago and we just hit it off."

"Whatever B, today is our day off you know what that means?" Veronica squealed. While the two weren't going to share a schedule in the future, V made sure it matched for the first week.

Betty signed. She was hoping to visit the shop where she kept the classic '67 Chevy Impala she restored in her free time. But when Veronica had plans it was futile to fight them. Maybe if she played along she would still have some free time to visit tonight. "What's the plan V?"

"First we're getting brunch for dinner. Being around crepes all day at work makes me crave them. Then we're sitting in and having a movie night." Nevermind on restoring her car then Betty thought. Still it would be nice to have a lazy day for the first time in awhile. "Now chop chop, go get ready."

Betty went in her room and threw on something comfortable. Jughead's sweater laid on her bed. She would have to take it back to him tomorrow. She still couldn't believe how badly she threw herself at him the night before. Not to mention how harshly he rejected her. She was so sure they were going to kiss but he remained as stoic as ever. 

_ Maybe I can just give it to Toni. _ Betty liked that idea. Just give the hoodie to Toni and avoid Jughead for a little while. He would no doubt be relieved to get away from her advances. 

"COME ON B! Let's go! Archiekins is waiting for us." Betty groaned, it was always so cringey when V added "kins" to the end of someone's name. 

Betty and Veronica were on their way out of the building when they ran into Toni on her way in. "Hey babe!" Toni exclaimed, "I'm just on my way to change before my shift."   
  
"You're just now coming back?"   
"Yeah I had a lot of fun with that Midge chick last night, and this morning, and at lunch." Toni said with a wide grin. While Veronica was also a sexually active roommate, she had a way of being classy about it. Betty was not used to the vulgarity that was Toni Topaz, but she loved it. 

Veronica interrupted their conversation by loudly clearing her throat. "Oh, hey sorry! This is my roommate Veronica. We're on our way to get some food with Archie before his shift starts tonight."   
"So Veronica is the lovely lady who helped get you a job. I'm Toni."

"Yeah, I know who you are. We've worked together for a year. Come on B, let's go."   
  
Toni just shrugged and waved goodbye as Veronica dragged Betty out the door.

The late lunch with Archie started out pretty uneventful. Betty had known Archie for awhile since Veronica brought him around so much so it wasn't too awkward. "Hey I heard you went out with the southside serpents last night."

Betty choked on her food and coughed "Excuse me?"

"You went out with like Toni and Jughead and Sweat Pea, yeah?"

"Um yeah."   
"I went to high school with them," Archie explained, "When we were in school the three of them were in this bike gang that runs around town. Jug's dad is like the leader or something. There's another guy they ran around with, Fangs. He's still in the gang I think. But anyways I guess they decided to clean up their act and get a job in a kitchen. They've been inseparable since I've known them."

Veronica, once again raised her eyebrow. She did it so often Betty was beginning to wonder how it hadn't become her resting face. "You're joking" she said.

"No I'm serious," Archie replied, "They've all got matching tattoos. You'll see. Sweat Pea's is on his neck." Betty did recall the tattoo that sat on the side of Sweet Pea's neck, a double headed snake.

"Well Betts I've gotta say you should probably stop hanging out with them. I told you they were heathens." 

Betty rolled her eyes. Veronica was always looking out for her, sometimes even to an annoying degree such as this one. Not dissimilar to Alice Cooper, which may be why Betty was so drawn to her. She still needed a demanding voice in her life, luckily this one was much healthier. Of course it didn't help that the reason Veronica cut herself off from her own family was because of gang related crime. She decided the best course of action was to not respond and wait for the subject to change. 

~~~

Jughead sauntered into the Blossom kitchen where Toni, Sweet Pea, and several other of the night crew were already hard at work. He grabbed the next ticket on the line and set about preparing the food to be plated. 

"Have a good time last night Toni?" he asked.

"Oh I know I did, but what about you? Betty looked pretty tired this morning when I saw her."

"We just talked. It was a good time."

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes "Come on man, you're closing game is w e a k."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, have you slept with anyone since you and Toni hooked up in high school."

"When would I have the time to? I spend 80 hours a week here." Saying that made a few of the kitchen staff listening in to mutter "heard" under their breath. Of course Jughead had had the occasional hookup, but one night stands weren't much his thing like there were Toni's and Sweet Pea's. "I'm so tired of hearing about Betty Cooper. What do you guys have a crush on her?"

All the teasing was putting Jughead in a bad mood, not to mention being pissed off at himself for not kissing Betty. He can't get the picture of how beautiful she looked with the cold and alcohol causing a flush across her cheeks. "What's Fangs doing tonight? I need a break from you ingrates." 

Toni waved a gloved finger at Jughead "Act like you can call Fangs up and not invite us. Try me Jughead."

Jughead gave Toni and Sweet Pea a sly smile, "I texted him this morning. He's meeting us at white wyrm at 12:30."

Fangs, Sweet Pea, Jughead, and Toni were inseparable since high school when they were all serpents together, following their family legacies. They moved out of their family homes fairly young, seventeen, and in with each other. Toni's uncle didn't approve of her sexuality, Sweet Pea's dad beat him, Fang's mom had died from cancer, and Jughead strove for independence with every ounce of his being. They had already been in the serpents officially for two years, and unofficially their whole lives. But they knew it wasn't sustainable. They loved the family the serpents provided, and still considered themselves members, but they wanted to reach out on their own. 

Jughead had always had a passion for food. Mostly eating it. So he figured why not get a food job. Toni and Sweet Pea followed. They all worked their way up the ranks at different restaurants until eventually all coming into the pretty penny that Blossom offered one by one. Fangs quickly realized the industry wasn't for him. He soon fell back in with the Serpents pretty hard. They never judged him for it. The Serpents offered a type of family that was hard to leave behind.

"Why are there no diced onions in the walk-in." Jughead asked walking out of the walk-in cooler. "Oh… I know," he said dryly "Because morning prep doesn't know how to do their fucking job." Nothing got Jughead as riled up as the morning prep not finishing their job. Everyone closing that night agreed of course, but a storm was brewing over Jughead. His bad mood just kept getting worse and worse.


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty goes on a date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do I update too fast? I'm just so inspired by Bughead lol.

 

**Chapter 4**

The night was Fangs was great. The morning after was not so great. Jughead still could not shake his hangover by the time he came into work. Only the glimmer of hope that he would be able to talk to Betty again helped him walk through the kitchen doors that afternoon and he had the perfect plan to do it too. All he had to do was lure Betty into a conversation with mention of the sweater she had borrowed from him. That was until he went to put his jacket up and noticed his sweater hanging on the small hook labeled "Jughead" on the back wall.

"Why is my sweater hanging back here?" He asked to the whole back of house.

Toni, who was busy making sure everything was ready for the Friday night dinner rush, answered. "Oh I ran into Betty this morning. She asked me to give it back to you."

  
Not wanting to give away his obvious disappointment, Jughead just grunted. He would have to find another way to talk to Betty today. All he knew was he needed to talk to her again. He wanted to find out what her favorite movie was or what her favorite book was. He wanted to find out what she did in the mornings. Thinking back to the night before when he stumbled back into his apartment drunk and lonely and a little horny he acknowledged that he really wanted to know if she had any hidden moles or birthmarks.

All wait staff had to come back eventually, and Jughead was nothing if not smooth. He would at least get his chance to talk to her. However, the night went further and further along and he continued to not see Betty. Instead Archie, Veronica, and even sometimes Reggie the bartender were bringing her ticket corrections and adjustments back. The more it became clear Betty was avoiding him the grumpier Jug got. He started slamming things around. 

The monotony of closing down and cleaning the kitchen calmed him down enough so that when he finally did see Betty he approached her calmly. "Hey Betty."   
  
The girl stared down at her feet, avoiding eye contact with him. "Oh hey Jughead. Sorry but I've got to get home." Feeling dejected Jughead gave up. Clearly she wasn't interested.

~~~

The weeks went on, Betty's embarrassment for getting rejected by Jughead slowly waned and a sort of friendship grew between them. Betty would sit out with the cooks after a close while they smoked their cigarettes and joked with them. Soon Betty's friendship with the back of house workers helped to start bridging a gap between the waiters and the kitchen staff. Resentment still existed on both sides but they were mingling. 

Betty eventually had a day off that didn't involve plans with Veronica and she got a chance to go to the shop. The little mechanic shop that allowed her to pay a small monthly fee to store her car there and work on it whenever she had free time was two blocks from her apartment. It was called Coach's and was owned by a many most people called coach, but whose actual name was Colin Clayton. 

"Hey Coach" Betty said with a perky wave when she walked in. 

"You have been in in a while Ms. Cooper."   
  
"Oh I've been busy with work and Ronnie. But I'm excited to work on my girl."

"Well have fun, let me know if you need anything."   
  
Betty spent what felt like hours digging around, replacing parts, messing with the motor. She talked to the guys who worked there and asked them for advice on any of the more difficult issues. Around dinner time a tall, handsome, and athletic man walked in. Based on the interactions he had with the mechanics Betty gathered that he was Coach's son, Chuck.

Eventually Chuck's attention wandered over to Betty and he went to talk to her. "I've been wondering who this bad girl belonged to," he said.

"She's mine," Betty responded proudly. "Gift from my dad when I came to school. I've been slowly working on it." 

"Well with the way you're working now it must have been in pretty bad shape at first."

  
Betty laughed. "Yeah pretty much." She watched Chuck's brown eyes slide over her body, not really understanding why. It wasn't like she looked that great in her greasy overalls and tshirt. He certainly wasn't the man she wanted the attention from.

"What are you doing tonight?"

Taken aback, Betty responded "Nothing actually."

"You wanna go get a drink with me? I'd love to rack your brain more about cars. And maybe get to know you too."

Any other time Betty would have said no. Today though, Betty was in a weird place. She was exhausted and sad. Having such an attractive man interested in her was surely positive, and since it was clear that Jughead wasn't interested there was no point in holding out for him. 

"Yeah sure. I need to get home and shower. But I can meet you in a couple hours if you'd like."   
  
Chuck and Betty exchanged information and agreed to meet at a small pub. 

Betty surprisingly lacked much excitement for the date at hand. He was tall and handsome and he asked her out first. But Jughead was always there in the back of her mind. Finally, with a fresh shower she hopped out the door and met Chuck at the pub. At first he was the perfect gentleman. At first.

As the night moved forward Chuck made it clear he had one way the night was going to end in his mind, and Betty definitely wasn't ready. His hand crept further and further up her thigh. Betty was too polite and scared to stop him. When the conversation moved past cars it moved onto Chuck and didn't move further. He did nothing but talk about himself. It was honestly comical how the night hit every check-box for a bad date. Chuck even checked out other women at the pub with obvious interest and flirted with the waitress. 

Betty ended the date early with an excuse about having to work early. She reluctantly agreed to let Chuck walk her home, mostly out of fear of worse men wandering the streets. Even so she made sure the hand in her jacket pocket gripped her can of mace tightly.

~~~

Jughead needed a smoke. Of course it was off limits in or near Toni's apartment. Not even her balcony. She always made it very clear how much she hated the smell of smoke. So Jughead was exiled to the front of the apartment building. 

He leaned against the building, watching  people pass by and thinking up stories about them in his head. Until he saw one of his favorite people. Then he saw him. The tall athletic man walking her home. The jealousy clouding Jughead's brain made him miss Betty's body language showing an obvious lack of interest or the look of relief on her face when she saw him. 

"Jughead!" She said with excitement, her name on his lips making his stomach drop. The blonde turned to Chuck and said "Sorry Chuck, I really need to talk to him. See you around maybe."

Betty ran to Jughead and hugged him. "You have no idea how you just saved me."   
  
"Me smoking saved you? I'll make sure to tell Toni next time she tries to get me to quit."

Maybe it was the three glasses of wine, maybe it was Jughead's smirk which always melted Betty's heart. Betty didn't think about it too much as she reached her hands forward to cradle his face and kissed him.  

To say Jughead was surprised would be an understatement. But he leaned in and kissed her with a matching passion. He tasted like cigarettes and mint, she tasted like sweet wine and garlic. He wrapped his arm around her until all of a sudden he felt a burning sensation on his hand. He pulled back quickly. "Fuck" he muttered while inspecting the cigarette burn now on his hand. 

Jughead pulling away forced Betty's anxiety back in. "I'm so sorry" was all she managed before running back inside.

"Betty wait!" He tried running after her but she was already in the elevator. 

Jughead took the stairs back up to Toni's room. 

"You look like you've seen a ghost." Sweet Pea said when Jughead finally came back into Toni's apartment. 

"Betty just kissed me."

"Betty kissed you?" Sweet Pea and Toni said in unison. They had been trying tirelessly to get the two to date (or fuck depending on who you were talking to) since Betty first started and finally, they were seeing results. 

"How was it," Toni asked.

"Amazing," Jughead sighed as he leaned back on the couch and stared at the ceiling. "Until she ran away."   
  
Sweet Pea, ever the supportive friend, scoffed "What the fuck Jug, you must kiss like shit."

Jughead sighed and the two sat in silence. "What if I text her? Try to figure out what is going on?" Toni asked.

"Wouldn't it be obvious you were texting for me?"

  
"I don't know, maybe. But it's worth a shot." The three decided the best way to do it would be to send a meme that would open up a conversation. They spent fifteen minutes looking for the perfect one and finally settled on a restaurant meme they found that everyone could relate to. Toni sent it and a minute later received a message from Betty.  **#me**

"Step one complete." Toni said with an accomplished grin.

**So Betts, what do you do on your days off?**

**Usually? Work on my car. Kinda went on a date today though?**

"She went on a date? Why was she kissing you?" Sweet Pea asked.

"I don't know. She came back with him when I was smoking outside but ditched him pretty fast. Said something about how I saved her.

"Alright alright, I think I know how to respond."   
  
**Ohh ;) how did that go.**

**Complete shit. He was such an asshole. Only talked about himself and hit on other women.**

"I think you saved her from a shitty date Jug." Toni continued to text Betty to try help her bitch about the date and worked her way towards bringing up the kiss with Jughead. Finally Betty brought it up herself.

**I did the worst thing Toni. I've been crushing on Jug so bad and I had too much wine tonight and he just has the nicest smile and I kissed him. I know he isn't into me that way so I'm so embarrassed. I know he's your best friend but please don't tell him.**

**I won't, I promise.**

"So I have good news and I have bad news." Toni said, "I have an answer for you and I have the juciest news ever. But also I promised her I wouldn't say anything."

The two men groaned. Sweet Pea had become pretty invested hearing all about the shitty date. Both of them interjecting their comments as Toni relayed everything Betty told her. 

"I know, but I am nothing if not a good friend. All I have to say is Jughead, get your head out of your ass and make it clear you like her." 

"How the fuck do I do that?" The three threw ideas back and forth before finally settling. "We're going to throw a party."

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided Betty was going to be the first to kiss because in the show it's often her grabbing him and I wanted to emulate that. I've got a couple of ideas about how they might eventually end up together but we'll see how it plays out. The story writes itself.


End file.
